The Archer Who Knew Too Much
by GrassFairy
Summary: The Young Justice team's biggest battle has ended, but questions remain. This is the first search for Roy Harper. Takes place during the missing five years, specifically after 'Auld Acquaintance'
1. Chapter 1

My spin on what happens after 'Auld Acquaintance,' specifically with Roy Harper. Enjoy! (Not a one-shot)

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Ch 1~ Different Opinions

Roy had disappeared.

Well, both the clone and the original, but Red Arrow was now missing also.

He was at the meeting, but other than that, nobody knew when he was last seen, who saw him the most recently, who should go look, or where he would be. Nobody knew anything, but everybody had mixed feelings.

Robin was confused. How did he not notice something so… major? Then again, how could he have known? He had been a clone for three whole years… Robin realized he had known both the clone and the real Speedy an equal amount of time. Roy was a clone, an exact copy; there hadn't been a way for him to uncover such information. But maybe… maybe if he had… no. Batman's protégé was an amazing detective, but he couldn't have expected… this.

Wally was confused as well, but he was battling inside. He felt betrayed by the clone, angry, as if this was all his-its fault. But he also felt… bad. Red Arrow had run away. Had the archer been too afraid to see what they would do, or had he just run out of sheer anger? Clone Roy hadn't known what he was. The disappearance of Wally's friend was not its- his fault. Little did the speedster know, Clone Roy's reasons for running were neither of his assumptions.

Aqualad was looking at this from two sides of the story. On one, he had his old acquaintance, not the clone, Roy Harper… missing. Where was he now? Could they recover their friend? Or was he… Aqualad's brows furrowed. No. He would not think that way. His friend was alive, it was just a matter of where. On the other hand, the Atlantian was thinking about Red Arrow, the Cadmus clone. Kaldur knew that Red Arrow had been created to be exactly like Speedy, but they had changed the clone, adding programming; the two archers were no longer similar, besides appearance. He saw them as two separate people, both MIA. They both needed to be found. With that, he got up from his seat, leaving the cave.

M'gann had trouble sorting out her emotions. Overall, she felt pity for the clone. He was like Superboy; it wasn't their choice to become copies of already existing humans. She glanced over at Superman's son.

Conner was angry. That's what he told himself, but he was really just shocked. Red was a clone like him, would there have been any way for Superboy to recognize Red Arrow as a Cadmus clone? No, he didn't have telepathic abilities like the genomes. He slumped over, resting his head on his fist. Wolf nudged Superboy's foot, letting out a little whimper.

The anxiety in the room was making Wolf nervous. Nobody was making noise, not even his master, who was usually trying to hit the woman with blonde hair and black clothing, the one who screamed. She wasn't here. Wolf lifted his head. Something was missing- no, someone. The red guy. He liked the red guy; he smelled like Superboy. Wolf let out a huff, then rested his head on his paws.

Zatanna wasn't thinking about the present like everybody else. Her mind was in the future. If Roy had actually been a clone for three years, he was, technically, the real Speedy. The real Roy, if he was still alive, would be more inexperienced. She sighed. This was going to be difficult.

Rocket tapped her foot impatiently. She wanted to do something. She may have not known any of these heroes for long, but she could tell that they were all planning. Enough planning, Time to act! She realized that Kaldur was no longer in the cave. Quietly, she slipped out, taking the hallway Aqualad had.

Artemis watched Kaldur leave, Rocket shortly after. She had no idea what to think. Artemis had never met Speedy, only Red Arrow. Were they any different? She had no way of knowing. The archer couldn't help but feel… sad for the clone. Artemis couldn't imagine waking up one day, realizing that you had betrayed… everyone. Speedy needed to be brought back, but she had to find Red Arrow. And she knew where to look. She got up from her seat, and left before anyone could ask where she was going. But all of the teenagers were too wrapped up in their separate thoughts to notice.

Aqualad and Rocket were talking outside of the mountain. Artemis walked up to them, and their conversation halted, the two glanced the archer's way.

"What's up?" She asked, folding her arms. Aqualad's shoulders slumped, and he looked over to Rocket. The heroine shrugged.

"We… we are going to look for Red Arrow." He said. That was unexpected. Going somewhere without the whole team? Not telling anyone? Very un-Kaldur-like.

"Why? What about them?" Artemis gestured to the cave entrance.

"I fear… that some of them do not understand. They want to find Speedy, but are forgetting about our friend." He spoke carefully, trying to make sense.

Artemis agreed. The others seemed more focused on finding Roy, the one who had been missing for three years, but were forgetting Red Arrow.

"This may not be the best plan, but I agree." Artemis glanced over her shoulder.

"We should get going." Rocket said.

"But where to start?" Kaldur pointed.

"I have a pretty good idea." Artemis replied. Red Arrow had said that he wanted to find Speedy. She knew that he needed information, and the green archer knew who he planned to get it from.

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A/N: This is going to be so fun to write! If there are any errors, or if it seemed rushed, sorry, I just really wanted to get this out! Next chapter should be pretty fun though!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks for the favorites guys! I actually wasn't too excited about writing this, but it turned out to be my most popular story (so far), and its growing on me! I can reply to you individually, so:

AudreyTucker0001: Aww, thanks! Here's your update!

Perfectly Porcelain 13: Sorry, but who do you mean by Jay?

Batman-defeats-all: Thanks for reviewing this story as well as my other one! I felt bad for Roy too, and that's why I created this story, but also because of the 5 year time skip.

Dextra2: Thanks ^^

Shoot4theStars: Here's your chapter! I'm kinda freaking out about Invasion because it starts 5 FREAKING YEARS LATER? That made me sad…

BlueBird722: Thanks, it took me some thinking to sort out the teens' emotions!

Ominae: Thank you! And you're probably right :)

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Ch 2~ Lost and Found

Kaldur, Rocket, and Artemis located the closest zeta tube outside of the cave, teleporting from Happy Harbor to Louisiana. From there, the team made their way to Belle Reve Penitentiary.

Inside, Kaldur took the lead. He walked up to a desk where a woman was sitting, typing away at a computer. "We have come to interrogate Sportsmaster," he said.

"Well, he's a popular one." The secretary said.

"What?" Artemis walked up to the desk, followed by Rocket.

"He's already had two visitors today- one is in an interrogation room with him right now." The woman said. The teens looked at each other, concerned.

"We need the room number." All three said simultaneously.

The trio made their way down the halls. As they got closer to their destination, Rocket noticed a few guards running ahead of them. Her eyebrows knitted together, as if she were thinking. Kaldur noticed her look of concern.

"What is the matter?" Aqualad asked. The group slowed to a stop.

"Those officers are heading down corridor 6A. It's a dead end… and our destination." She said. The three exchanged glances, then started running.

They caught up to the guards, who were knocking loudly on an iron door, jiggling the handle, shouting at whoever was inside. Kaldur's eyes widened as he realized what was happening.

"Step aside." The men moved out of his way. The Atlantian kicked the door, hard. It flew open, slamming into the wall. Kaldur put his hand out to stop the door from swinging back, then entered the room.

Red Arrow was holding Sportsmaster against a wall. The archer's arm was pulled back, hand balled into a fist, knuckles raw, ready to strike the villain's face, which was already bloody.

"Roy-" Aqualad put his hand on the clone's shoulder. Then, something hit the Atlantian's face, sending him reeling off to the side. He put his hand on a wall, steadying himself, trying to figure out what had just happened. Something dripped onto the floor. Kaldur looked down to see a few small red circles on the tile. His hand rose to his face, fingertips brushing something wet under his nose. He pulled his hand back, revealing a red substance on his fingers.

Blood. Kaldur looked up, meeting Red Arrow's eyes.

"Aqualad, I-" Roy feverishly attempted to apologize, but he was interrupted.

"Don't." The Atlantian snapped. Artemis and Rocket stood in the doorway, jaws slack. None of them had ever pictured Kaldur angry, let alone imagined having the chance to see it.

Red Arrow released his grip on Sportsmaster, and the guards rushed in, taking the villain. He was chuckling; a shoulder-shaking laugh that just looked downright creepy along with the blood running down his face.

"Uncovering the secret has changed you archer. I hope I get to see you when you break." Sportsmaster taunted. Red Arrow growled, then lunged. Kaldur grabbed clone-Roy's arm. It must have been some grip, because Artemis swore she saw the archer wince.

After the guards dragged Sportsmaster out, the Atlantian released Roy, then walked over to the door, pushing it shut. He turned back to the archer. Aqualad's face was blank, but his silver eyes were burning.

"Sit down." He said, voice falsely calm. Roy pulled out the metal chair and sat, his arms resting on the table. He stared blankly ahead of him. Artemis and Rocket just stood to the side.

The room was silent except for the buzz of the light overhead. Kaldur walked over to the table. "Roy, I need you to understa-"

"I'm not Roy-" The archer tried to say, but was interrupted by Kaldur's hands slamming onto the table. The Atlantian leaned in close to Red Arrow's face, so close, that the clone could smell the blood from Aqualad's nosebleed.

"You _are _Roy. To us." The Atlantian returned to full height. "And you need to understand that this is a team." He gestured to Artemis and Rocket. Kaldur was about to go on, when clone-Roy started again.

"Oh yeah? If this is a team, then where are the rest of your teammates?" He interjected.

"You mean _our _teammates. They are not here because they need time to think. Time to think about you; who you are. The rest of the team will understand soon enough, but we understand now. We are here because we have come to bring you back." Kaldur reached his hand out across the table.

Red Arrow turned away. "I need to do something first." The archer muttered. He felt something touch his shoulder. His head turned to look at it. A hand. His eyes traveled along the arm, across the collarbone, and up past the neck, his gaze meeting that of Green Arrow's 'niece.'

"We know." She said softly. Roy looked back down at his hands.

"Thanks," he said, his tone hardened, but there was something strange beneath it. _Appreciation, maybe? _The green archer thought. "But this is something I have to do alone." Roy finished, standing.

Artemis's hand slid off his shoulder. He edged past Aqualad, the Atlantian's gaze was practically burning a hole in the back of Red Arrow's head. He was almost out the door when Rocket blocked his way.

"_Have_ to? You don't get it, do you?" She laughed, but not in a happy way. "Are you kidding me? Lemme' guess: you're scared of what we think of you, is that right?" The teen let out another you-can't-be-serious laugh. "Alright, I'm gonna ask you something: would we track you all the way down here if we didn't care?" Rocket crossed her arms, smiling a reassuring smile. Artemis and Kaldur exchanged glances; both teens had slight grins on their faces.

Roy looked at Rocket, then glanced over his shoulder at the others. He relaxed, but his expression remained solemn.

"Fine." He said, pushing past Rocket. She gave Artemis and Aqualad double thumbs up, following the red archer out, the other two going after her. Artemis paused. It was slight, hardly a second, but she had stopped, blinking once, trying to remember something important. The archer shook her head, trying in vain to remember what was bothering her… but it slipped away. She walked in the back of the pack as the team exited the prison. What were they forgetting?

"Back to the cave then?" Rocket asked as the group of four walked up to a zeta tube disguised as an old telephone booth.

"No-" Red Arrow said sharply. The three other heroes gave him looks of confusion.

"Not yet. I…" The archer trailed off. He knew by the nods of his teammates that he didn't need to explain. The Atlantian laid a hand on Red Arrow's shoulder.

"When you are ready." Kaldur said. Roy nodded.

"We need to locate the information." The archer recovered. Artemis stepped forward.

"Like I said before," she glanced at Rocket and Aqualad, then Roy, giving him a mischievous grin. "I have an idea."

((AN: this is where it was supposed to end, but thanks to all the likes, I decided to add a lil' more ^^))

Roy stood in the middle of a warehouse. It was dark, silent; all he had to do was wait, but he had been there so long, his legs started to ache. Red Arrow was starting to doubt their plan- no, Artemis's plan. His brows furrowed. Was this just a way to humiliate him? A way to get back at him for all the times he had spoken against her? Roy's thoughts were interrupted by a small noise. The archer whipped around, a blunt arrow loaded and ready to fire.

Suddenly, there was an arm around his throat. Roy had no time to react as a knee dug sharply into his back and a leg swiped his feet out from underneath his body. The clone smacked into the ground, a spasm of pain radiating up his spine. He was immobilized for a moment, but Cheshire didn't need that much time.

"So, you came to find me." She hissed into his ear. The assassin jammed her knee into his stomach, leaning over him. Clone Roy heard a metallic sliding sound, jerking when a cold blade touched the soft skin under his chin. "Well, it looks like _I_ found _you_." She jeered, applying pressure to the sai, forcing his head to tilt back. The archer lifted his eyes, looking past the feline mask, locking his gaze with Cheshire's. Her eyes narrowed, the knife slipping into the joint where Roy's chin met his neck. The assassin pressed down. He felt a sharp sting.

"Anything to say? Because I'm sure it's hard to talk with your throat cut out."

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A/N: Well? What did you think? Glad that so many of you added this to your favorites (which is what got you that lil' ending there). Please comment! I got 40+ alerts from FF, but only 7 reviews? I need you guys to ask questions or to post ideas that you want to see. Sure, it is my story, but if my readers don't understand something, I need you to speak up so that I can correct it! Suggestions are welcome too, like if you want to see more of a character or if you want me to switch POVs, things like that :)


	3. Chapter 3

Alright guys, apology/excuse time: I lost some data on this story, so if anything seems weird or out of place, it probably is. I'm just gonna post this, and if you see anything wrong, please comment so I can go back and fix it! The rest of this A/N will be replies to the reviewers, so you can skip to the story if you want ;)

Androgynous-Heron: Well, that's what happens when you get interrogated by Red Arrow XD

batman-defeats-all: Thank you so much for the critique! I'll try to fix that for next time ;)

.Souls: If the opportunity arises, I could try to do that!

ShadowCatAlex: You are correct! As for the other characters, you will see them more in these next chapters ^^

Angel of Mysteries: I haven't brought the real Roy into the story yet. I try to call clone Roy 'Red Arrow' and 'the clone', but I understand how that can be confusing! And it's real, not a dream. If it were a dream, I would probably still play it like it was real, for the effect ;)

areanna123: Here's your update!

Ch 3~ A New Mission

"_Anything to say? Because I'm sure it's hard to talk with your throat cut out."_

"That is enough." Kaldur held the tip of his water-sword to Cheshire's forehead. The rest of the team stepped out of the shadows. They surrounded the assassin, ready for her to make a move. Beneath her mask, Jade smiled. She released her grip on clone-Roy, dismounting him. The archer sat up, coughing slightly as his hand reached up to check the cut on his neck.

"An ambush. Well, I suppose should have this coming," Cheshire purred. She was still holding her sai, twirling it absentmindedly. "But I'm surprised Roy; I thought you were more of a solo-flyer…" Jade glanced over at the clone. He got to his feet, ignoring the assassin's taunt.

"Where is Roy?" Red Arrow demanded, stepping towards Cheshire. The grin hidden by her mask widened.

"Oh, so you finally figured it out: the fact that you were never really… you," she sneered.

"So you do know something." The clone said, his voice strained with anger that he failed to conceal. "Where is he Jade?"

Cheshire laughed. "What makes you think that I know?" She asked. Her question sounded genuine, Roy couldn't tell if she was lying or not.

"Your father, he had a visitor." Roy's eyes narrowed at the assassin. Jade knew instantly what he was trying to accuse her of. She removed her mask, staring at the clone with a cold smile on her face.

"Tell me archer, why would I want to talk with him?" Jade asked, a tone of cold hatred burning clearly in her voice, hatred for her father. Roy was taken aback. Then, before he could interrogate her any further, there was a loud crash. The small team whipped around as someone burst into the warehouse- no, not someone- six someones. Kaldur, Artemis, Rocket, and Roy stood, weapons ready, facing the intruders. Before they could do anything, the six figures stepped forward.

Robin, Kid Flash, Miss Martian, Superboy, Zatanna, and Wolf materialized out of the shadows. For a moment, everyone stood, frozen. From behind Kaldur's group, Cheshire spoke.

"This just gets more interesting by the minute," the assassin mused, breaking the silence. Artemis ignored her sister's comment. She lowered her bow and stepped forward.

"Why are you here?" The green archer demanded.

"We could ask you the same question," Kid Flash retorted. Artemis rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to make a snide remark, but Aqualad stepped in.

"Stop." He said, voice calm, but forceful. The two fiery teens stepped back, Artemis taking a sudden interest in her shoes while Wally looked off to the side, scratching the back of his head. "Perhaps we should explain," Kaldur continued, "Artemis, Rocket, and I went to investigate," the Atlantian assumed that the other half of the team knew he was referring to finding leads on the missing Roy. Before he could say anything else, Kid Mouth interrupted.

"But how did you find Red Arrow?" He blurted.

"We ran into him when we went to interrogate Sportsmaster." Artemis answered. Robin and Wally exchanged glances. M'gann's eyes widened. She flew forward, stopping next to Robin and Wally.

"What do you mean?" She asked them suddenly. The two turned to her, surprised. Wally shook his head, a confused expression on his face.

"I-I'm sorry, but did you just read our minds?" He asked, slightly bewildered. Megan's hand flew up to her mouth.

"Oh! I-I didn't mean to pry, but it's just- I want to understand," she sputtered, a bright pink blush creeping up her green skin.

"You're not the only one sister," Rocket said.

"Ok, ok, freeze." Zatanna stepped forward. "You guys," she pointed at Kaldur's group, "went to interrogate Sportsmaster, found Red, then came here to find Cheshire," She nodded to the female assassin, who was standing, examining her sai, oblivious to the confusion around her. Zatanna was surprised that she hadn't escaped during this dilemma. She guessed that Cheshire was too smart to try to run. She obviously wouldn't have gotten far with the whole team right there.

"But you," she resumed, pointing to Robin and KF, "what are you talking- well, thinking- about?"

Kid rubbed his arm, looking at the floor. Robin let out a breath.

"We visited Sportsmaster earlier today." The Boy Wonder said.

_The first visitors,_ Kaldur, Artemis, Rocket and Red Arrow realized. Things were starting to make sense now.

"We wanted to find some information, about, you know, but…"

"We didn't get any." Robin finished for KF.

"Ok, but how did you find us then?" Rocket asked. Wally let out a laugh.

"C'mon! Did you forget? Bird-boy's kind of a master-hacker," Wally nudged Robin with his elbow. Boy wonder smirked. "We brought the whole team to find Cheshire, and we ran into you." The speedster finished.

Kaldur turned to Red Arrow. "See? Everyone is on your side." The Atlantian said quietly.

"Alright, problem solved, case closed, I'm just going to-" Cheshire started to back away, but Red turned and grabbed her shoulder.

"You're not going anywhere," he said. "What do you know about Roy?" Cheshire pushed his hand off her shoulder.

"You already know what I know archer," the assassin said. Kid Flash rolled his eyes, about to demand that she just give them a straightforward answer, but Superboy suddenly stepped forward.

"Cadmus." The clone spoke. His voice was soft, but it echoed around the silent warehouse.

"Ahh, super-clone's got a clue," Cheshire purred. The team exchanged glances.

"Let's go," Red Arrow said, he started walking out of the building. The team looked around at each other, surprised at the clone's urgency to leave.

"Wait!" KF dashed after him, blurring then reappearing in front of Red. "This is too rushed, we need a plan, we need to-"

"We NEED to find Roy. He's been waiting long enough. We have to find him." The archer said with a rock hard tone.

"I know, Red. Believe me, I want to find him as much as you do, but going in blind is a bad idea." Wally tried to reason. "We need a strategy."

"Oh please, when did you become the cautious one? The 'strategy' is to infiltrate Cadmus and find Roy. Seems pretty crystal clear to me." Red bushed past the speedster.

"Roy-"

"Do. Not. Call. Me. Roy." The clone's voice was cold. Kid glared at the archer, his emerald eyes flashing with a blend of anger and desperation.

"Look. This is _dangerous._ We won't be able to just waltz in there and take him… if he's even there."

"He IS there. I know it. And if anyone gets in my way…" The clone reached back into his quiver and pulled out an arrow; one with a lethal tip. Wally's eyes widened.

"Roy- I mean- Red! You can't be serious dude!"

"Deadly."

Wally's green eyes flashed. "If you do this, people could get hurt, innocent people, you're pissed and I get it, but you're also being completely irrational-" Red Arrow's face was suddenly inches from Wally's.

"Do not. Tell me. What I feel." He poked the speedster's chest every other word. "There's no way you could ever understand." Kid Flash stepped back, running his fingers through his orange hair, face burning with frustration. There was nothing Wally could say to get clone-Roy to see reason.

"You're right." Someone said from behind the two. Both turned to see who it was.

Superboy stepped forward. "He doesn't know what it's like, but I do." Conner said, looking down at the superman shield on his shirt.

"It's like being someone's shadow," Superboy explained. "You want to be as good as the original, but you can't." He stopped, not knowing what else to add. Robin continued for him.

"We can't risk everything just for the sake of finding Roy; we have to think about this." The Boy Wonder said.

Red Arrow turned away from the team, saying nothing as he started to walk away.

"But hey- I never said anything about not coming with you," Robin said. "If you want to go on an unplanned and possibly life-threatening mission… well, I'm not letting you go in by yourself."

Roy turned around to see the team nodding in agreement.

"I'll get the bioship, we can make a plan on the way to Cadmus," M'gann said, putting two fingers to her temple.

"Hey," the group turned around to see Cheshire. She was leaning nonchalantly against a dumpster. The assassin could've escaped twice now, but she was just… standing there.

"Are you going to invite me to this party?"

Artemis scoffed. "No," she replied immediately. Cheshire tipped her head to the side, waiting for an explanation. Artemis rolled her eyes.

"It's not like you're on our side. Why do you even want to come?" The green archer asked hotly.

The assassin shrugged. "You're right, I'm not on your side. But I'm not on 'their' side either. Plus, I'm bored, a little action never hurts…" Cheshire trailed off, starting to pace. "Besides, I want to see how this story ends."

Artemis turned to the group, giving them a look that said 'nobody can possibly be considering this, right?' From behind the green archer, somebody spoke.

"You can come." Artemis whipped around to see Red Arrow. Before she could object, the clone spoke.

"She'll stay with me; I'll keep tabs on her." Artemis narrowed her eyes at the red archer. "What? You wouldn't want her to run and tell the Shadows, would you?" He asked rhetorically. Artemis groaned in frustration. Cheshire smiled, putting her mask back on. "So it's a date then," she purred. The team ignored her comment.

Everyone boarded the bioship, the anticipation of a new mission hanging over their heads. Despite the excitement, none of them could shake the feeling of unease. The team, though famous for taking matters into their own hands, still hated going in blind. Yet, they all knew that they didn't have a choice.

Artemis buckled in. Not really knowing why, the green archer glanced over at Wally. He was sitting hunched forward. His elbows rested on his knees, his head resting on his hands. The speedster gazed ahead, his eyebrows furrowed.

"What's wrong?" Artemis asked.

Wally didn't move, and the archer thought that he must've been too deep in thought to hear. Then, without moving, Wally spoke.

"Nothing… just a bad feeling."

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Uhg. Sorry if this chapter is confusing, rushed and/or messy, but I had to at least try to update. So again, if you saw anything weird or you are confused, comment so I can fix it!

Please, bear with me if you can, I already wrote out the next chapter and it will be posted soon… I hope!


	4. Chapter 4

AN: ahh I'm such a jerk! Ok, no more promises for when the story will be updated, or for when any of my stories will be XP I haven't given up on any of my stories, and I'm not going to- it just takes me forever to update!

mosesmuxixu: yup, that's why I put this as the first search for Roy Harper ^^

.Souls: Ahh thank you! And I read your fic, loved it ;)

BlueBird722: Thanks for the critique! And uhh, it kinda did take forever, sorry! XP

ShadowCatAlex: hehe you will see!

Midnight1906: err, ok? XD

cn: That I shall!

And here's your update!

Ch 4~ Trouble

During the long flight, the team designed a crude plan: Robin and M'gann, the ones who would be able to move with the most stealth, took to the roof. Superboy and Aqualad would go around and find a back entrance. Zatanna was assigned to take Rocket and Wolf. Artemis and Kid Flash would go enter through the shipping doors. Cheshire and Roy were left to make their own decisions, since they weren't part of the team. Everyone was to go out and gather intel. Any sign of danger, and they were to notify the rest of the team.

The 'plan' didn't give anyone closure. None of them knew what they would be running into.

The bioship arrived at Cadmus in middle of the night. M'gann established a mind link, however, both the red archer and the assassin refused.

"You have your coms, use them if you really need to talk to me." clone-Roy growled.

"I am going to refuse also… wouldn't want the Martian getting curious," Cheshire said, glancing over at the alien. Miss Martian was about to try to explain how the mindlink worked, but Artemis shook her head at Megan, knowing that her sister wouldn't change her mind. Without any further discussion, the team split up, each group going to their separate locations. The last to leave were Red Arrow and Cheshire. The assassin, who, to the archer's surprise, followed him without a word.

Robin and Miss Martian, having gotten onto the roof, quietly opened the vents. Robin hacked into the building's security system, disabling the sensors and alarms. M'gann noticed a strange look on Robin's face.

_What is it?_ The Martian asked him through the mind link. Robin's brows furrowed as he typed faster.

_Don't know. Something just seems different- off- it's weird- _Robin stopped his thought suddenly as the lights on his gauntlet turned green.

_We're good, let's go._ Robin thought to the Martian, nodding forward.

The hallways were dark, lit only by dim red security lights. Aqualad and Superboy moved quickly and silently though the corridors. There were no signs of trouble, that is, until they rounded the next corner.

Kaldur's arm shot out, stopping Superboy from advancing. _Someone is there,_ Kaldur thought to Conner through the mind link. The superclone nodded, peeking around the corner. Upon seeing who was on the other side, Superboy relaxed, walking out into the open.

"Dubbilex?" The super clone asked. The frail looking G-Goblin stepped into the glow of a red light. He put his hand out to grab the wall, but fell before he could steady himself. Superboy caught the goblin before he hit the ground.

"They… attacked us." Dubbilex muttered, a hand going to his head.

"Who attacked you?" Kaldur asked, kneeling next to the genomorph. Dubbilex shook his head.

"…I can't… remember. It happened yesterday…" he said, blinking his foggy eyes. Whoever it was, they came prepared, and wanted nobody to know that they had been at Cadmus.

_Heads up, Dubbilex says that there was a breach. _Superboy thought out over the mind link.

_We'll keep a close lookout, _Zatanna thought back.

"After all, we do have the world's best guard dog with us," the magician said aloud, patting Wolf's head. Rocket and Zatanna found an elevator. The magician pressed the button and the door opened, and the trio found themselves staring down a seemingly bottomless elevator shaft.

_Looks like there's no easy way down. The elevators have been disabled,_ Zatanna sent her thought out over the mind link.

From the other side of the building, Robin typed away on his gauntlets. _You're right, all except one. Artemis, KF, you should be close._

A moment later, there was a '_found it' _from Artemis.

_It must be a cargo lift, being the elevator closest to the loading doors. Whoever was here must've needed to use this. _Wally reported, pressing the button. He and Artemis entered the elevator, the doors sliding shut behind them.

_Be careful, the fact that they left the elevator active might mean that it's-_ a sudden jolt followed by a shuddering groan of metal cut into Robin's thought. The elevator lights flickered then went dark.

_It might be what? _Artemis asked.

_Booby-trapped._

A metallic grating sound set both of the heroes' teeth on edge. A red backup light blinked on. Wally and Artemis looked at each other from opposite sides of the elevator, eyes wide. They stood, frozen, not even breathing. After a few minutes of tense silence, the speedster let out a nervous laugh, releasing his death grip on the railing. Artemis's shoulders relaxed as she let out a sigh. Wally was about to speak, but was interrupted by a bone-jarring BOOM.

Wally and Artemis suddenly felt themselves plastered to the ceiling of the elevator that was hurtling to the ground. With some difficulty, Wally reached over and shook the handle to the emergency hatch.

"Jammed!" He shouted over the roar of the rushing elevator. Artemis reached over her shoulder and grabbed an explosive arrow out of her quiver. She brought her arm forward and slammed the arrow into the door. There was a flash as the arrow went off, and the elevator ceiling broke apart.

Artemis twisted around, then fired a grappling arrow at the side of the shaft, grabbing Wally as she swung towards the wall. The two collided none too gently with a ledge. When Artemis hit the wall, she bounced back, out over the open shaft. Kid Flash reached out and pulled her in just as an explosion of fire and shrapnel shot up towards them.

Once the heat subsided, they both peered over the edge at the distant glow of the smoldering wreck. They looked at one another, green eyes meeting blue, taking both heroes taking in the others sooty, singed appearance.

_Kid Flash, Artemis- are you ok?_ Robin asked through the mind link.

_Yeah, we're fine, _Wally replied. The two teammates turned and looked at each other again.

"Too close," they said simultaneously, laughing and slumping against the metal wall as they caught their breath.

_._._._

Zatanna, Rocket, and Wolf descended through the vacant elevator shaft, the magician using a magic spell on her and the dog, and Rocket using her inertia belt. They touched down on the top of the disabled elevator. Rocket raised her hands, and the emergency hatch opened, both of the heroes dropping through the opening. She then used the same trick on the elevator doors. The two stepped out of the red-lit elevator, into complete blackness. Before Zatanna could think of a spell, a purple glow illuminated the halls.

"It's like infrared light; we can see it, but creatures of the night can't." Rocket explained. Zatanna nodded. They headed down the hall, watching and listening.

Out of the corner of her eye, Zatanna saw something flash. "Rocket-" she grabbed her partner's arm, pushing it to the left. The light moved with Raquel's hand, illuminating a side hallway in which scattered pieces of broken glass glinted in the violet light. _This way, _Zatanna thought to Raquel.

The evidence of destruction continued, along with dented walls and more glass shards. Finally, they stumbled across a door- literally stumbled: the door was broken, lying in splinters across the floor in front of an entryway.

_Guys? I think we found something, _Zatanna said over the mind link. Just then, Wolf growled.

_And something's found us! _Raquel added.

_Team, to the lowest level,_ Aqualad ordered every member over the mind link.

_._._

Meanwhile, completely unaware of the events unfolding, Red Arrow and Cheshire snooped through the security room.

"So, what made you come?" The clone asked, acting interested in the security monitors.

Cheshire turned to the archer and let out a quiet laugh. "You invited me, remember?" Cheshire tried to avoid the question, but the clone was ready for this.

"Oh please. You've committed an immeasurable amount of crimes against the Justice League, you work for the Shadows, and your father's even worse. Every hero in the League would love to see you behind bars. So why take the risk?" Clone-Roy turned, staring at her through the mask.

"Because," the villainess sighed. "Sportsmaster escaped, no doubt with help, but now he's out, and what makes you think he won't try to take out the ones who put him in?"

Roy paused, but only for a moment. "Artemis." he said. Cheshire's eyes narrowed beneath her mask.

"And me. I figure surrounding myself with supers couldn't hurt," she purred. Clone Roy scoffed slightly, starting to turn back to the monitors when he felt the assassin's hand touched his shoulder.

"She never had anyone to watch out for her Red. She had me… but I was more of an every girl for herself believer." Jade paused, as if what was coming next was difficult to say. "She never had a big brother. Roy, protect her, keep her safe. I'm counting on you."

Roy was taken aback, but he had no time to think when Cheshire tipped back her mask and pulled him in, pressing her lips against his. After a moment, they both moved away from each other, their eyes meeting. Then, Cheshire looked over his shoulder at the monitors.

"Looks like your job starts now," The assassin said, replacing her mask. Roy turned around, eyes widening as he saw the chaos unfolding on the TV screens.

* * *

So, that obviously took waaay longer than I predicted to update. Thank you all for reading and favoriting, and for a few very nice PMs!

Oh! By the way, I'm now a beta reader! Ok, ok, it may seem like a bad idea for a procrastinator like me, but I know that if I'm helping someone, I will be more dedicated to the site and my own stories!


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